“I need to be in control,” I blurt out.
“You need to be in control?” he parrots. “Okay. Then you’re in control.”
“Just like that?” I scoff, taken aback by his simple response.
“Just like that.”
I search his face for a hint of insincerity, but don’t find any.
And then we stand here for several seconds—maybe minutes—while he waits for me to do something, say something. I start to freak out because I don’t know what to do or say. I might crave the control, but I’ve never actually had it.
I would ask Theo to do things, and when he refused, I’d either fake an orgasm or throw a fit.
“I don’t know what to do,” I admit, my nose and eyes burning.
This guy must think I’m nuts.
“I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
I start to head for the bathroom so I can get dressed without him seeing me lose my shit, but he stops me once again.
“You said you wanted to be in control. What does that look like?”
“I don’t know. I’ve … I’ve never actually been in control. I just know I need it.”
It’s more than a need. I crave it, desire it. So much so that when Theo took charge in the bedroom, I’d instantly retreat, and I couldn’t get out of my head, to the point where I couldn’t find my release.
He stares at me for several seconds, then nods in understanding and retreats. “Get dressed.”
My heart sinks. A part of me was hoping maybe he would be different. But I can’t blame him. I’m a broken mess, and this guy doesn’t owe me anything. He was looking for an easy fuck, and instead, he got a complicated one.
I grab my clothes and disappear into the bathroom to quickly get redressed. Not caring what my face or hair looks like, I head back out to the bedroom so I can grab my heels and purse and get out of here. Only when I step out of the bathroom, I find Kane lying on the bed in nothing but boxer briefs.
“All right, Princess, you have me. Now, what are you going to do to me?”
“Princess?” I quirk a brow, unimpressed by his cliché nickname for me.
“Yeah, you’re like the princess in those storybooks,” he explains. “The blonde one who’s hidden in the castle with the drawbridge up and no way for anyone to get to her.”
If only he knew how accurate his statement was.
Usually, I have a guard, Daniil, who shadows me everywhere I go, thanks to the dangerous life my brothers live. But I’ve worked out adeal with Daniil, and when I go out, he follows behind in a separate car, and he never reports back to my brothers anything I do—not that I’ve been doing much since I returned to Harbor Point. My life literally consists of spending time with my family, hanging out with Nicole, and taking classes at the local Pilates studio.
“Now, are you going to take control or what?”
Kane spreads his arms wide, and my attention goes to his muscular biceps and forearms. Further down, his chest is chiseled, his skin tan and clean—not a tattoo in sight. I count six abs and notice a thick bulge in his boxer briefs.
“Hey, Princess, you going to stand there, eye-fucking me, or are you going to do something?” He smirks devilishly.
“If I’m in control, then you shouldn’t be asking questions.”
“Of course I should,” he volleys. “Communication is the key. If you hadcommunicatedthat you needed to be in control, you would’ve saved us a lot of time that could’ve been spent with me making you scream my name.”
I don’t argue because he’s not wrong, but in my defense, until he asked what I needed, I hadn’t pinpointed what the problem was. And honestly, Theo never would’ve been okay with me taking control.
“Now, tell me, what do you want from me?”
2
